Acquittal of TEPCO Executives Not to Encourage Complacency
このページを 日本語 で読む
Tokyo's High Court has dismissed the claims of shareholders in a lawsuit they filed seeking compensation from former senior managers of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). Plaintiffs had argued that senior executives were responsible for the 2011 major accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The accident followed the massive March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
A lower court ordered four former executives to pay more than ¥13 trillion JPY ($89.5 billion USD) in damages. But the High Court overturned that ruling and did not recognize any legal liability on the part of the former executives. That was the correct decision.
TEPCO management's response to the "long-term assessment" was the main point of argument. That report was published by the government's Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion in 2002.
Based on this assessment, a subsidiary of TEPCO estimated that a tsunami of up to 15.7 meters could reach the nuclear power plant. From this, the shareholders argued that the former executives knew about the possibility of a massive tsunami but failed to implement adequate safety measures. Decommissioning work is shown at Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
In response, the Tokyo High Court ruled that to prevent any possibility of an accident, the nuclear plant would have had to be shut down and construction of tsunami countermeasures ordered. However, the long-term assessment in and of itself was insufficient as a basis for issuing such an order. The court concluded that the former executives' lack of a sense of urgency about the risk of a tsunami was only to be expected.
Electric power companies are legally obligated to supply electricity. Unless the long-term assessment had sufficient credibility based on clear evidence, it would have been difficult to stop operations. Consequently, the court concluded it was difficult to hold the former management team legally responsible for the disaster.
This latest ruling is in line with a previous Supreme Court decision concerning a related criminal trial. A lay prosecution committee had indicted the former TEPCO executives on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury.
In its March 2025 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the former executives were innocent. The court declared that the "opinion of the long-term assessment cannot be said to have been information of a nature that would lead people to recognize the realistic possibility of a tsunami attack."
Therefore, the Tokyo High Court ruled that the former TEPCO executives were innocent of the charges. Moreover, the ¥13 trillion in compensation ordered by the first trial court is an astronomical amount. It exceeds the ability of individuals to pay and is totally unrealistic. A massive tsunami hits Northeast Japan following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake .
Nevertheless, power companies that own nuclear power plants must be aware of their heavy responsibility to prevent accidents. They have a duty to make every effort to implement safety measures.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident was a radioactive disaster unprecedented anywhere in the world. Multiple reactors were simultaneously damaged. At the height of the crisis, around 160,000 people were evacuated, and residents of nearby areas suffered various forms of severe damage.
For a resource-poor country like Japan, nuclear power is a core power source essential for our energy security. But if we are to make effective use of nuclear power, it is necessary to nip risks in the bud by implementing thorough safety measures. Electric power companies should always keep this point uppermost in mind.
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
このページを 日本語 で読む
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada Standard
3 hours ago
- Canada Standard
"PM Modi always likes to come to Odisha": CM Majhi on PM's declining invitation of Trump, citing prior commitment in Odisha
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], June 21 (ANI): Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that he politely declined an invitation from US President Donald Trump, citing prior commitment in Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said that the PM always likes to come to his state. 'He always likes to come to Odisha. He spoke to Donald Trump during the G7, and he invited the PM for a visit to America. PM Modi had already given us the program and told us he would come on June 20... He likes to come to Odisha, and he starts his programs with the chant of 'Jai Jagannath, '' Majhi told ANI. Speaking at an event in Bhubaneswar on Friday, PM Modi said that he had politely declined an invitation from US President Donald Trump to visit the United States on his way back from Canada after the G7 Summit, choosing instead to travel to Odisha -- the 'land of Lord Jagannath,' which he called more important. 'At a time when Odisha's BJP government is completing one year, the people of Odisha are preparing for the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra. He is our 'prerna' inspiration and 'aaradhya' worship,' PM Modi said. 'Just two days ago, I was in Canada for the G7 summit. During that time, US President Donald Trump called me and invited me with great insistence. I told the President of America, Thank you for the invitation, but I need to go to the land of the Lord. So I politely declined his invitation. Your love has drawn me to the land of the Lord,' he said. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said that his government aims to make the State a USD 500 billion economy by 2036, adding that the government would cooperate with the Centre to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat. 'We will cooperate with the centre to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat... Our GDP is more than the national average... We have prepared a vision document for 2036... We aim to make Odisha a USD 500 billion economy by 2036. A double-digit growth rate is required for this,' Majhi told ANI. Majhi commended Prime Minister Modi's leadership and highlighted contributions to the state's development. 'In January, PM Modi urged the investors to participate in the Utkarsh Odisha 2025 conclave. We received proposals worth Rs 17 lakh crores in just two days, which is a record. This happened because the investors trusted you. We are working to make Odisha the industrial hub of eastern India...,' he said. On Operation Sindoor, Majhi lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, stating, 'Under your leadership, the terrorist has been eliminated. Operation Sindoor was not just an operation; it was a symbol of the trust of mothers and sisters. With Operation Sindoor, India rises to a new role, one that does not bow. Earlier, people said, 'Modi hai toh mumkin hai'; now they say, 'Modi hai toh desh surakshit hai.' Under your leadership, development is touching new heights. In 11 years, all sectors have made progress, and India has become the world's fourth-largest economy.' PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth over Rs 18,600 crore in Bhubaneswar. These projects will cover critical sectors, including drinking water, irrigation, agricultural infrastructure, health infrastructure, rural roads and bridges, sections of national highways, and a new railway line. (ANI)
Japan Forward
20 hours ago
- Japan Forward
Trump World: Nice Guys Come Last, so Show Your Cards
When President Donald Trump unveiled his "reciprocal" tariffs in early April, he also invited foreign countries to offer deals that would offset the tariff damage. Japan was the first country to enter negotiations. So, there was an expectation that, being America's most important security ally in the key Indo-Pacific region, it would be treated with kid gloves and a deal would be reached fairly quickly. So far, though, little progress has been made, and "no deal" remains a real possibility. On the other hand, America's number one foe, China, was able to negotiate a significant reduction in United States tariffs in a matter of days. The reason: China has a near-monopoly on the mining and smelting of the rare earths crucial for high-tech industrial processes. The details of the China-US agreement are scarce. However, it remains the case that China can cut off the supply at any time it chooses. In the Machiavellian world of great power rivalries, Xi Jinping holds a high denomination card. He doesn't need to use it. Just brandishing it from time to time makes the point. United States Federal Reserve in Washington, DC (©Wikimedia Commons) Japan has a high-denomination card, too, but far from brandishing it, Tokyo pretends it doesn't exist. That is the $1 trillion USD of US bonds held by Japanese entities, by far the largest foreign ownership. The Trump administration is highly sensitive to action in the US bond market. Hence, the constant attacks on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Concerns about the level of American government debt long predate the current administration. However, Trump has consciously taken a significant risk in piling up tax breaks and spending commitments in his recent "big beautiful bill." (The one described by Elon Musk as a "disgusting abomination.") A bond market rebellion leading to higher interest rates could sink his presidency, as he must know. Before the negotiations got going, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato made an off-the-cuff comment on Japanese TV about US bonds being a possible "card" that Japan could play. The very next day, he walked back his words, stating that Japan would never do such a thing. Presumably, he was "got at" by his officials who, naively, assumed that being cooperative would earn rewards. The episode was reminiscent of the fate of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, one of Japan's bolder leaders. In the late 'nineties, he suggested that Japan should sell its already considerable holdings of US treasury bonds and buy gold instead. The result was a mini-tempest in global markets and a hasty denial by Hashimoto. Instead, the man who had the foresight to kickstart Japan's Big Bang in financial services was suckered again. His officials persuaded him to raise the consumption tax in the midst of a severe banking crisis, thus ending his premiership and, effectively, his political career. To his dying day, he bitterly regretted having accepted the advice of his officials. The message back then was that Japan should remain a tributary possession of the United States. Taxes on consumption were steadily increased. That continued, even under the premiership of Shinzo Abe, who did so much to overturn conventional wisdom in other areas. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (right) shakes hands with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on April 24, 2025. (©Japan Ministry of Finance). Japan is the world's largest creditor nation. Yet, there was a constant doom-mongering chorus from the rating agencies and establishment economists. They moaned about the risks of Japan's internal debt ー which was owed by one set of Japanese to another set of Japanese. Japan has continued to run current account surpluses decade after decade. That has helped to enable American overconsumption through Japanese over-saving. No doubt, it seemed a safe and simple strategy. But the second coming of Donald Trump raises all sorts of new possibilities. Currency regimes have undergone two controlled upheavals in the last 55 years. First was President Nixon's scrapping of the gold standard in 1970. The second was the Plaza Accord to drive down the value of the US dollar against the yen and the West German mark in 1985. Interestingly, in real terms (taking account of accumulated inflation), the dollar is roughly as high as it was pre-Plaza, and the yen at the same level as it was in 1971. Are we about to experience a similar upheaval, designed to devalue the dollar? If so, it would be unlikely to be the result of a "G7" type powwow. Today's world is too chaotic for that. More likely, it would be a genuine shock, like the end of the gold standard. Already, some disturbing ideas have been floated. The proposal to coerce American allies into buying 100-year bonds at much below market interest rates is one example. Stephan Miran, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors in the Trump administration, dreamed up that one. If inflation picked up, there could well be pressure on the Fed to keep interest rates below the level of consumer prices. As has been the case in Japan, the result would be a super-weak currency. In any of these scenarios, selling US government bonds would be a smart move. And in the current situation, nothing can be ruled out. At the very least, Japan needs to maximize its leverage by brandishing its cards and showing that it is not afraid to use them. Author: Peter Tasker Find other essays and analyses by the author on JAPAN Forward .
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Malaysian court drops money laundering charges against jailed ex-leader Najib Razak
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian court dropped three money laundering charges against jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday, in a case linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of a state fund. Najib was previously convicted in a graft case tied to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund, or 1MBD, and began serving time in 2022, after losing his final appeal. He also faces other graft trials. The High Court's decision to drop the charges alleging Najib received 27 million ringgit ($6.3 million) in illegal proceeds to his bank accounts came after procedural delays by the prosecution, which saw the case dragging on for six years, Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said. Prosecutors could not give the court a timeline for when they will be ready for the trial, he added. Prosecutors reserve the right to revive charges against Najib and a discharge does not mean an acquittal, Shafee said. But, Najib was happy and can now focus on the main 1MDB trial, he added. Najib set up 1MDB shortly after taking power in 2009. Investigators allege that more than $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by his associates to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases. The scandal upended Najib's government and he was defeated in the 2018 election. Last November, the High Court also discharged Najib and the former treasury chief in another 1MDB-linked corruption case after repeated delays by the prosecution. The pair can still be charged for the same offence in the future. In 2023, Najib was acquitted on separate charges of tampering with a government audit into 1MDB. Najib was sentenced to 12 years in jail in his first graft trial but the sentence was halved by the Pardon Boards in 2024. Najib alleged the board had issued a home arrest order for him to complete his sentence at home, but the case is still being heard in court. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Najib awaits his verdict in another key case that ties him directly to the 1MDB scandal, which has prompted investigations in the U.S. and several other countries. The defense in May closed their case on four charges of abuse of power to obtain over $700 million from 1MDB that went into Najib's bank accounts, and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount. Closing arguments are scheduled in October, after which the court will set a date for verdict.
